Ivanovic Takes Berlin, Cracks Top 10

BERLIN, Germany - Persistent rainfall tried to mar the Qatar Telecom German Open this past week, but the skies finally cleared on championship Sunday, just in time for one of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour's brightest young stars to rise; Ana Ivanovic prevailed in a nail-biter against Svetlana Kuznetsova to capture the prestigious Tier I trophy.

Ivanovic, the No.12 seed, was barely tested in her early rounds in the German capital, a three set win over No.15 seed Patty Schnyder being by far her toughest challenge en route to the final. Once there she was pushed to the limits by No.3-seeded Kuznetsova, having to recover from a one set deficit and losing a 5-3 third set lead before clinching the title with a resounding 36 64 76(4) victory in two hours and 15 minutes.

"This week has been amazing for me; I've beaten some great players and today against Svetlana was just fantastic," Ivanovic said. "I hurt my ankle in the third set, so it was hard to move, and I just started going for my shots."

"I'm obviously very disappointed with how I played today; I was a little tired and my shots weren't going where I wanted them to go," Kuznetsova said. "But Ana played well. I have to say that this week I had a lot of pluses and one big minus."

Kuznetsova was on court for the second time in one day; earlier in the day she topped off her postponed semifinal match against top seed Justine Henin, going from being up 3-2 in the third set to a complete 64 57 64 win. Henin held up well considering she was perhaps the most affected by the constant rain delays; on Saturday she rallied back from a 4-0 third set hole to win her quarterfinal before having to again rally back, from 5-3 down in the second set against Kuznetsova.

"It has been a bizarre week; I played two matches in one day then went on and off the court," the Belgian added. "I did play some good tennis this week though. Today was very tough, because I felt very tired and my arm felt very heavy. Kuznetsova is an excellent player and I think clay is one of her best surfaces."

Despite the semifinal loss, Henin, who won in Warsaw last week, was quick to re-focus her sights on the big one.

"I feel that I have had good preparation for Roland Garros. Now I'm going to get some rest and recover in order to be fully prepared for Paris."

This is Ivanovic's third career title and second at the Tier I level. Last August she earned the Rogers Cup in Montréal, Canada, beating Martina Hingis in the final.

"This gives me lots of confidence for Roland Garros," Ivanovic declared. "But I don't really want to set any goals for myself. I just want to take it day by day, and match by match, because anything can happen. There are so many good players out there, so I am not going to put any pressure on myself after this."

The title run propels the Serbian teenager into the world Top 10; she is projected to rise from her current ranking of No.16 to No.8 Monday, joining countrywoman Jelena Jankovic among the game's 10 best.

"This is all very exciting for me, getting into the Top 10!" the 19-year-old added. "I just want to enjoy this moment."

The doubles draw was even more decimated by the week's rain but in the end it was the top-ranked, top-seeded pairing of Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur who prevailed with a 63 64 championship victory over unseeded Italian tandem Tathiana Garbin and Roberta Vinci. The American-Australian duo seemed headed for an even easier victory, going up 5-2 in the second set, but still managed to close it out in straight sets despite the late rally. This was Raymond's 64th Tour doubles title and Stosur's 21st; it is the American-Australian team's 19th. (WTA)